Exposing the Racism of Pro-Illegal Politicians

Source: Capitol Weekly

A new anti-illegal-immigration ad which began running on Sacramento network TV stations last week shows an image of Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez addressing a crowd while an announcer declares that "some propose raising immigration by over 100 million."

The 30-second spot, financed by a group called Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), goes on to warn of "crime, crowded schools and bankrupt hospitals," with the words superimposed over images of Latino immigration protesters. It began running on Sacramento network television last week.

The ad lists lists a website for more info, including a "Quick Fact" section, plus audio and video that some politicians don't want to see the light of day.

For instance, one of the audio clips is purportedly a recording of Núñez saying, "These rednecks ... will think twice before they push forward anti-immigrant legislation against our community. You can be as revolutionary as you want, Chicano nationalist, you can believe in the concept of Aztlán."

A spokesman for Núñez denied that the voice was the Speaker's, and otherwise refused comment. On Saturday, the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion reported that Núñez contacted the stations running the ads and requested that they stop running them, which he said are disrespectful to immigrant communities.

CAPS president Dana Hull points out what we've been saying around here for some time: the pro-illegal immigration crowd loves to point a finger at those of us who oppose illegal immigration and cry "Racist!" in an effort to shut us up.

I don't want to shut the other side up -- but I sure do like the idea of exposing the truth. CAPS gets it. Which is why those whose lies and hypocrisy are being exposed are up in arms.

Hull said that she has the original tapes to prove that the voice is Núñez's. According to the group Immigration Watchdog, which produced the video, Núñez made the comments at the January 1995 Proposition 187 Latino Conference at the University of California, Riverside.

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The "Aztlán" clip goes on play recordings of Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr., D-Rialto, urging Latinos to "increase our numbers" in order to win a "civil war." Art Torres, now chairman of the California Democratic Party, tells a crowd about explaining to white Senate colleagues that he had voted for affirmative-action programs "because you're going to need them." Another clip features Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa calling for Latino voters to get rid of politicians who don't support immigrant rights. The offices of all three men were contacted for this story, but had not commented as of press time.

They can proclaim "taken out of context" until they're blue in the face -- there IS no context that could explain away this trash, most of which stemmed from California's Proposition 187.

Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, said that he tried repeatedly to get the press to cover these comments in the mid-1990s. At the time, he was a senator and, along with Sen. Dick Mountjoy, was one of the architects of Proposition 187. At the time, he said, the media was happy to report "any racist comment made by the leader of a three-person anti-immigrant group and call them a leader of the Prop. 187 movement."

"I personally think these were racist comments," Haynes said of the statements by Núñez and others. He added, "Some of my Democratic counterparts figured they could say whatever they wanted and their comments would never appear on the news. Thus far, the media have proven them correct."

Indeed. As a matter of fact, if it weren't for the blogosphere and groups like CAPS, their comments probably wouldn't have "appeared" anywhere.

Technorati Tags
Illegal Immigration * Racism * CAPS * Fabian Nunez * Joe Baca * Art Torres * Antonio Villaraigosa * Ray Haynes